Machu Picchu & The Sacred Valley

There is so much to see here that we can but give you a taste!

​The principal visitors' site in the Sacred Valley of the Incas is unquestionably the magnificent "lost citadel" of the Incas at Machu Picchu. Most visitors trek in via the "Classic Inca Trail" or go in on a train from Cuzco or Ollantaytambo. Rail options include the Vistadome and luxurious Hiram Bingham service, but there are other rail services and trails that can meet a range of needs & budgets. ​HOT TIP: ​Many clients report that tourist numbers at Machu Picchu and new VISITOR RULES are beginning to "dim" the "Machu Picchu experience"! See BELOW for TWO new sites that RIVAL Machu Picchu - Choquequirao and Kuélap!

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With many more superb sites to visit in the Sacred Valley, be it other Inca ruins or one of the bustling altiplano artisanal markets stuffed with fresh products, gaily coloured locals and other myriad sights, a week at least could be spent here! To take full advantage of the costs of travel, visitors should book well ahead to guarantee access to popular locations*. (* Classic Inca Trail typically fully booked 3-4 months in advance; Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain ascents each only permit 400 pers/day; Host of new rules governing access to Citadel Machu Picchu now in effect since Feb 2018!)

For MORE on the sights and best opportunities to be found in the Sacred Valley see below!​Tip: Most of our clients link a visit to Machu Picchu with an excursion into Amazonia, or on into Bolivia via Lake Titicaca.​

Temple of the Sun, Ollantaytambo​An increasingly popular site, Ollantaytambo was razed and refounded in the mid 15th century. Both a fortress city and religious centre with its great Sun Temple, it was the site of Manco Inca's successful stand against Conquistador Pizarro in 1537. Today, it is the gateway to Machu Picchu, by foot and rail!

Inca Salt Pans, MarasSome 40kms N of Cusco are the ancient Inca salt pans of Maras. Operated since Inca times with great care, each 4m square "pan" is carefully fed from a salt-rich subterranean stream and permitted to evaporate, leaving salt as the product to be harvested. A unique community, it is also a unique sight!

Inca Agro-Lab, MoraySome 50kms NW of Cusco, the fascinating circular, terraced depressions at Moray are believed to be an Inca agro-laboratory! By planting crops at different levels, and with different exposures to the sun and cold, the Incas could study the domestication and modification of wild crops for farming.

​Local markets, Pisac and ChincherroWhen visiting the Sacred Valley, time should also be found to visit one of the bustling altiplano artisanal markets, especially the "Sunday Markets" at Pisac or Chincherro. Stuffed with fresh products, gaily coloured locals and other myriad sights, each of these offer true insights into the local culture.

Saqsaywaman Inca Citadel, CuscoMajestic Cusco itself requires two full days or more to properly enjoy, where mighty Saqsaywaman and the "golden" temple of Qurikancha dominate. Lesser sites in the city and immediate surrounds also enthral, not to mention the outstanding local cuisine!​Consider visiting Saqsaywaman with a guide, on horseback! An unusual day out!

Inca Rope Bridge, CuscoA few lucky tourists find the time to visit the only Inca Rope Bridge still being rebuilt annually following 600 year old Inca techniques! In June each year over a 1000 locals from 4 communities join to re-build the Q'eswachaka bridge, 33 metres long and swinging precariously 15 metres above the Apurimac river.

Mysterious Choquequirao, the "sister site" of Machu Picchu?!

A few really intrepid travellers trek and ride to visit the "new Machu Picchu" or "sister site" at Choquequirao. Far larger than Machu Picchu, it is NOT far from Cuzco but is still "lost deep in the hills and mists" of wildest Peru! Largely unknown on the general tourist circuit, it is still being excavated, with often only a handful of visitors on site at any time*. As one of our clients said, "it is not for the fainthearted, but UTTERLY FABULOUS!" (​Details & Rates (2019)* 64kms out & back (much on horseback), you will need a 3 nights/4 days minimum trek (fast/challenging), or can elect for the slower (soft) 4 nights/5 days option. From US$ 600/person all inclusive (min 2 pers) - basic tents, sleeping mats, all food, water, chef, guide, mules; US$ 100 extra for each horse hired; reduced rates/pers for larger numbers).

Kuélap - the NEW site to challenge Machu Picchu!!

​​Listed here as it now vies with Machu Picchu to be the TOP destination in Peru, Kuélap​ dates from a time LONG BEFORE the Inca Empire. Now accessed by a new cable-car system (Mar 2017), this has opened up this previously "lost city" and its surrounds to world tourism. Dating from around 600 AD until the Incas toppled the culture in the late 1470s, at its peak Kuélap was a vibrant city with some three thousand souls; one of the largest cities in the world at that time! With walls over 20m high and more than 420 buildings, it was based on the Cachachapoyas culture whose people were also known as the "Warriors of the Clouds". For MORE, click HERE!

Cerro Arco Iris (Rainbow Mountain) and Ausangate Trek

Not to be belittled by mankind's constructions in the Sacred Valley, nature in turn demonstrates its magnificence in the form of two stupendous outings, one to the fabulous Ausangate Range some 85kms SE of Cuzco. Treks vary in length from 5 to 7 days*. The second experience is a (long!) day out to view the incredulous beauty of Cerro Arco Iris (Rainbow Mountain) that lies to the south of the Ausangate Range, also about 85kms to the southeast of Cusco**​(* Ausangate Trek, prices varying from US$ 600/pers for 5 day/4ni trek, reducing in price when numbers in trek increase; **Arco Iris trek from US$ 40/pers for one day hike to viewpoint)

Belmond Hiram Bingham Train, luxury to Machu Picchu

​​Named after the explorer who rediscovered the "lost" Inca citadel, the Hiram Bingham train service from Cuzco to Machu Picchu Pueblo has two dining cars, an observation/bar car and a kitchen car. It caries up to 84 guests. In the style of 1920s Pullman carriages, each has been furnished in polished wood and brass with large comfortable armchairs. As you board, tables are exquisitely set with gleaming crystal and polished cutlery; the maître d' awaits the opportunity to invite you to enjoy brunch and a gastronomic dinner; and the Bar and Observation cars offer the perfect place to sit, relax and watch the Peruvian landscape unfold*. ​(* from US$ 510/person one-way, all inclusive)NOTE: For MORE RAIL options Cuzco to Puno or Arequipa see HERE.